BrewDog stout now ranked second in UK behind only Guinness

Since its launch in March 2023, Black Heart has posted 12.6% of Guinness sales in pubs and bars, while it has secured 20% of Guinness sales in Tesco and 35% in Morrisons.

Overall, the last four weeks of 2023 saw the stout deliver £4m worth of sales in retail settings.

The UK’s stout market in pubs and bars across the UK is worth £1.28bn, accounting for an 8.3% share of the total beer market.

The Black Heart stout is now sold in 300 independent pubs across the UK and a survey by consumer insight firm Vypr found that just under 40% of stout drinkers have now tried the beer.

Founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, BrewDog is located in Ellon, Scotland.

'More than happy with Black Heart'

Market Town Taverns, which operates around 20 sites and pubs across the UK, has reported notable demand for the Black Heart stout since its launch.

“I’m delighted with how well Black Heart is performing in our pubs, which clearly shows the demand by consumers for a quality alternative,”​ said Matthew Bradley, director of operations  at Market Town Taverns.

“Having worked closely with BrewDog, it certainly proves toucan play in the stout arena. There is no doubting the strength of Guinness, but we are more than happy with Black Heart and most importantly so are our customers.”​

Meanwhile, Watt outlined BrewDog's ambition for its new stout: “​Black Heart is very quickly becoming the nation’s new favourite stout and our aim is for it be the number #1 stout in supermarkets by 2027. It’s not so black and white anymore.”​

In other news, Kathryn Bricken tells Food Manufacture about the decision to undergo a rebrand at Doughlicious – The London Dough Company​​, the snacking brand she founded back in 2014.